Flint: A Hunger Games Story
by theodds
Summary: Fifteen year old Flint Lightfare lives in an orphanage in District 7 due to his parents' demise. Little does he know that this year's Reaping shall help him uncover the truth behind the fire that killed his parents, but first he must fight to the death with twenty-three other tributes. Happy Hunger Games.


Flint

 _"In penance for their uprising, each district shall offer up a male and a female between the ages of 12 and 18 at a public "reaping". These tributes shall be delivered to the custody of the Capitol. And then transferred into a public arena, where they will fight to the death until a lone victor remains. Henceforth and forevermore this pageant shall be known as "The Hunger Games."_

From the tiny window in my room I spot the first glimpse of the sun over the horizon. I haven't slept in two days, and the only comfort I find is in the sun rising. After the death of my parents in a fire four years ago, nothing seems as beautiful as before. Food tastes bland and skies more grey than blue, but the sun will never stop being that beautiful ball of fire. Of course it's not like living in an orphanage is beautiful, parents dead or not.

District 7 is a big district and the orphanage is smack dab in the middle of it. We used to be allowed to walk around the city square unattended for an hour a day until a little rebellious girl I know named Maple walked off and into the Hall of Justice without permission. The Hall of Justice is a large building that was clearly vibrant in its days of youth, but now it's worn down and dirty. It's smack dab in the center of the district and is where people are tried for breaking laws, but no one remembers the Hall because of that. The reason everyone, including me, shares a justified terror of the Hall is because there two of our children are picked to walk to their slaughter, and that is one reason I can't sleep, today is reaping day.

As soon as I begin to move about my room Maple, whom is also my roommate, grumbles at me "Shut up I'm trying to sleep." And with a quick glance my way as quickly as she woke she goes back at it. I walk down the stairs silently dancing over the noisy floorboards in the grimy and old wooden house. I eat my assigned breakfast of hot, awfully gruel like, grain. I then do my dance back up the stairs and to my room once more, but not without another one of Maple's groans. I then change into a light blue button up shirt, a pair of navy blue pants, and a pair of black dressing shoes I've outgrown since last year. I look into the mirror of our small room and I see the average height skinny boy I am. My hair has lost its color even more and looks now like an ashy brown, and my dark brown eyes don't stand out very much either. I guess this is what stress does to someone.

Of course the reaping isn't for another two hours but I need time for my daily routine of sneaking out for more food. I have a friendly relationship with a baker's daughter a few houses down from the orphanage. I go out the window that leads to the alley next to the house and get a better view of the ugly two story log cabin style house, that has long since lost its color. I stick to going in between the houses before arriving behind Sary's house. She greets me on the small back porch behind her charming little house. She is in a navy blue dress that is tied with a ribbon, and her hair is in a picked up twisty manner. She is short yet her confidence makes her seem 1000 feet tall.

"I was wondering when you'd show up." Her hazel eyes follow me as I approach her house, "Well not all of us wake at dawn to bake you know." Our little playing around is clearly a way to temporarily distract ourselves from the topic that is brooding around us. As we've done every day for the past year or so she passes me a fresh roll keeping one for herself and we sit, eat, and talk together. At first we exchange dumb words about the weather and the lack of butterflies in this spring, but then the real question shows up. "How many times are is your name in?" I ask without warning.

"Thirty." I'm dumbfounded at the number even though last year it was twenty-nine and I should know but each time I hope that somehow that number was false but three tesserae can hurt your odds. "Don't worry about me, I mean come on out of all the people in 7 none of us will be picked, and your name is only in four times." She responds in a genuinely calm manner. "I know…" I begin and look up at her with a look that I know will show her that I'm tough and the whole thing is beneath me "Thanks for that, I really needed it." In about five minutes I've finished my roll and I say goodbye to Sary before setting out this time really taking in the scenery. Small wooden houses are lines up with small alleys in between and to the right of the line of houses is the main road which is surrounded by forest on the other side. The day as gloomy as it feels is actually beautiful with the green in the trees looking vibrant as ever and the rustling of the leaves giving off a pine scent. I love the springtime forest.

As quickly as I arrived at Sary's I arrive back at the orphanage and I climb through the window to find Maple in the kitchen eating her hot grain "Talk about disgusting." She says at me smiling. "Better than that turnip stew the other day." I say with a chuckle and we both laugh a bit until the orphanage orchestrator interrupts from atop the stairs "Be mindful of what you say while in _my_ house!" Maple and I are always making these remarks about the bad food the Capitol provides, and it infuriates Malcre, her having been trained in the Capitol for the job. "The Capitol does lots for you 'mentally unstable' bunch." The funny thing is that Maple and I always forget that we are classified as 'mentally unstable due to traumatic experiences'. I see Malcre come down the stairs fully with her long black hair up in a tight bun with ugly little glasses that make her eyes look huge. Her face is slightly wrinkled but she clearly doesn't care because she continues to frown at Maple causing lines to appear on her forehead and around her eyes. Maple is average height, with auburn hair, and light brown eyes and her skin is a darkish tan. As much as she may be average height with her anger she grows.

"Oh yeah do you want to see mentally unstable? Believe me bitch there's lots of damage I can do with a plastic fork." She shouts at Malcre who is about to shout back until the other three children walk down the stairs in Reaping uniform. "I'll deal with you later, you know, if the Games don't get you." Malcre spits and goes to change. Maple gets up and I see her light blue dress that almost reaches her knees already his year. The children eat breakfast but I don't bother to remember their names or how they look so they don't think I'm their friend. By the time they're done Malcre is in the kitchen with us and then the Reaping bell rings throughout the District.

Outside, the district sounds almost mechanical as every house's doors swing open and feet shuffle around outside. Everyone crosses the main road and follows it to the center of the city also known as the Hall of Justice. _Palms sweaty_. I walk with Maple behind me and clearly the whole thing is beneath her. _Sweat trickling_. I see the entrance to the little shopping square around the center and go in abandoning the trees behind me and crossing the road. After walking by several shops we finally arrive to the checkpoint outside a candy shop to one side and a cake one to the other. A female peacekeeper sits on a stool by a long table with a little gate controlled by the mini needle in her hand. _I see ashes_. The needle isn't quite a needle though more like a sheet of metal that comes to a sharp point at the end. Before I know it I'm giving my hand to the woman and he grabs it without hesitation and stabs my index finger and along with the sting a small electric shock goes through my finger. _I smell the gas_. "Next!" the woman screams loud enough for the whole square to hear, and the mini gate is now open for me. I find Maple in the crowd and we look at each other and us both being serious people offer our hands to each other but last minute both instinctively pull into a hug, as much as we don't like admitting it after three years together we've become best friends. From sneaking out together, to sharing secrets, and pranking the other orphans we really share a special bond. We need to have that proper hug, just in case.

I walk to where the rest of the fifteen year old boys are and get in the line and wait another twenty minutes that fly by quickly. Then it starts. _I smell smoke. Out of the corner of my eye I see the first trace of a flame in my room. I rush to my parent's room and see my father is up and my mother screaming for me. He tackles out of the doorframe me right before the roof gives in and my mother is crushed. My father pushes rushes me to the door and the last thing I see is him climb into the half collapsed room to save my mother and I walk out and when I go outside, it's snowing. No. It's not. The ashes of my house are landing everywhere as though they are flakes of snow._

Someone helps me up from the floor and I quickly conclude to myself that I had a breakdown. The death of my parents three years ago was two days before my first Reaping, so I attended with the death of my parents still fresh in my mind. Ever since there are only two things that can break me down like that, being in a snowy forest, and the reaping. I compose myself and then the giant television hooked up on top of the Hall of Justice's wall turns on showing our leader, President Coriolanus Snow. The sight of him boils my blood as it my parents were as important to him as his precious Capitol citizens he would've made sure our houses were fireproof. He looks down on us his brown hair being clearly taken over by many gray ones, and his suit is dark red in color, and is made out of some furry think is called velvet.

"Welcome, welcome. Today you are all gathered here so two of you one male, one female can have the honor of representing your district in the celebration of the 63rd Hunger Games!" his face says only one thing with that cheeky grin on it. _'Look at how powerless you are. All of you are at my feet! Ha ha ha!'_ I loathe him. "I know present to you citizens of District Seven Perle Corde!" His broadcast is cut to black and a woman dressed in a bright red dress that ends just above her knees walk out of the Hall, and from the distance you can't tell but she has a bright fox decoration on her dress that is made of what seems to be precious rhinestones. Just like all Capitol citizens she wastes her money on things that could be feeding the poor in the districts. "Again! Welcome, welcome to the annual 63rd Hunger Games!" Her voice is so whimsical it sounds like she is on morphine. "Ladies first!" Not Maple or Sady. Not Maple or Sady. I watch her dive her hand deep into the bowl that is full of names and she then grabs hold of one and retracts her hand clears her throat and reads "Sara Felie."I feel a sense of relief overcome me and then I hear the usual gasps and the poor cry of a woman that must me the mother as the girl goes up the steps her face bright red and tears streaming down her cheeks. Then as quickly as the relief came in it dissipates into the air and I see the heads of every boy drop as she says "Now, for the gentlemen." 'Not me. Please not me. I'm good I swear!' I begin to pray to anything that will hear me, but after a swift pluck from the bowl and a paper being carefully unfolded I hear "Flint Lightfare." So much for praying.

End of Chapter One

I hope you enjoy! Feel free to ask questions or point out any mistakes!


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